Week 4-Using the www

Lecture Summary

This week's session was concern with distinguishing between the internet and the web. The web is said to be an "abstract virtual space of information". it was "developed by Tim Berners-Lee (a researcher at CERN) in 1989". It has made sharing information easy and interesting. A down side to this is that, it only works with the presence of the net. A net consist of two or more computers connected to one another with cables.

Tutorial

In this tute session, we began by looking at a number of web sites. After our observation, were to state how each of the following websites, http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ and http://www.molossia.org/ attempted to appear as authentic. Futher more, we were to construct a list of four clues which suggested that such websites are in fact a "spoof". The website, http://www.molossia.org/ attempted to appear authentic by creating the name molossia. This may appear to be authentic as there are many countries in the world, with similar ending, e.g. Indonesia etc. The four clues which give this website away as being a spoof are:

1. On the very front page there is a tab which says,"teachers click here" This gives you the impression that this a hypothetical nation created for fun.
2. On one of the page it said "This is not a recognized educational institution, military or otherwise, and is not accredited"
3. The navy only have 2 main weapon and in the "war against mustachisten", they are not dress for the occasion, e.g. not Camouflaged
4. Use of informal language.
   
   
   

The website http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ attempted to appear authentic by saying it's an organization but in the URL, it's written as .com and not .org. The four clues which gives it away as a spoof are:

1. On the page it has picture of what they discribed as haggis but in their dictionary, haggis is defined as a sheep's intestine.
   
2. They used madeup words such as Farqhuar Farqhuarson


3. Discrbing themselves as an organization while in the URL, they use .com instead of .org


4. When you click on the gleneagle link, it comes up with something completely unrelated to an hotel.
   

Other website which we also visited is http://www.martinlutherking.org/. Before i visited this webpage, base on the url, i was expecting to find information on the life of Martin Luther King. After visiting the website, my first impression was that the this is a non authentic website as the content appear false. After researching on Martin Luther King, i found that the content are infact false and does not depict the life of Mr King. Although Mr King wasn't a raper, on the website it had a link to a so called rap lyrics which was unrelated to Mr King. The website appear to be discriminative.

Reading 1 summary: "a brief history of the internet"

The first person to invent the net was Mr Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. Mr Robert was the mind behind the computer research. He was the first to recongnise that computers can be interconected in a manner that allow people all over the world to share information over the net from the comfort of their own home. In 1965 Mr Roberts, Kleinrock and Thomas Merill conducted an experiment which allowed access to information previously impossible. These three genius connected the TX-2 computers in mass. Two years later, Mr Robert developed and published a network of computers. In 1969, they connected a host. This was the "main computer that control specific function of the network or files". In 1972 the electronic emailing system was introduced (Email). Furthermore, this was also the time in which the first public demonstration of the network technology was held.

Reading 2 : History of the world-wide web

The world wide web (www) was an advance from the internet. It is a network of sites that can be searched and retrieves by a special protocol known as a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).In 1980, large number of hosts were connected to the internet. It was then predicted that "the system will eventually grind a halt". 1984 marked the introduction of the Domain Name Servers (DNS), which made the name of host computers easier to remember. Furthermore, tiering systems such as org. gov. edu. com. and country code were also introduced which once again, made the name of host computers easier to remember. In 1989 a guy by the name of Tim Berners-Lee designed the concept of WWW. The name world wide web, originated from a brower which he made in 1990 and named it, " the world wide web". From then onwards, the number of host and the number of websites increased to thousands and millions. During this period, the development of school, bussinese and club based websites were took place.

Search engines

Some examples of the largest and most flexible search engines include: Google, Alta Vista, and Northen Light. Google was established in 1998, while Alta vista and Northen light was established in 1995. Search engines operate by selecting individual web pages or documents. In general, they have a smaller search field compared to dictories. Moreover, some may give a selction of results from different websites. Search engines uses spider which are provided with four information sources. These informations include: page title, Description, Keyword and the the text of the document itself.

WEEK 3-Online libraries and database

Lecture summary

This week's lecture was an introduction into using the library data base to locate journal articles on various topics such as economical impact of global warming and many more. In order to obtain journal article from a credible source, you are advice to use the Proquest 5000 search engine. You can get to it by going to http://www.ecu.edu.au/library/. In the lecture, it was stated that various online libraries only shows catalogue and at times it can depict out of date information.

Tutorial

In this session, we began by reading an article on useful search tips and functions. Examples of the search tips included:

1. Ensure most important keywords are place in front
2. Use double quotation marks on phrases to ensure it's searched as it is, in the same order.
3. Combine phrases with key words using double quotation and plus and or minus.
4. Use plus or minus to force inclusion or exclusion of word
5. If unsure of the spelling of a word, write in short form.
6. Ensure there are no spaces or between key word and sign i.e + Or -
7. Be sure that the search engine which you use, does not contain a stop word (words which it, ignores, i.e. and, or).
8. Use CAP when typing boolean operators (words which increases or decrease the search field) e.g AND, OR AND NOT/NOT.
9. To find your keyword in a document, use the find function.
10. Type keyword or phrases in lower form to get both lower and capitalised version of the search.

Next, we searched for a journal article which talks about the economical impact of global warming on bussiness. I managed to find an article which was very informing. I am unsure of the credibility of the author as it was anonymous but i am assuming it is from a credible source as it was published in New Hampshire Business Review. This article can be accessed by clicking on the following links http://0-proquest.umi.com.library.ecu.edu.au/pqdweb?index=13&did=1319237771&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1206511856&clientId=7582

The last activity for this week was generated around the medlineplus website. To access these activities, click on the link: http://medlineplus.gov/

I was particularly interested to know more about cataracts. This is a condition which involves clouding of the eye. It can be caused by an injury to the eye or if a family has a history of such condition. It cataracts disallow patient to view sharp lift, a surgery may take place, where the cataract will be removed through either one of two procedures call, "phacoemulsification" or extracapsuler surgery. The lens will then be replaced using artificial lens which require no maintenance.

I think that school childrens (secondary) and those affected with certain conditions are more likely to use such services. School children could use it to obtain information for a given a assessment concerning the various topics. Those affected or those with affected loved one's may use this service to also obtain more information on the condition for a better understanding or a starting ground. The search tips which i learned today is very useful because now i can do my research for upc0002 more effectively. I can choose to include or exclude certain words from my search term simply by using plus and minus.

Reading 1: Finding what you want on the web

There is enough reference materials available on the web now, therefore the presence of large encyclopedia is no longer required. One must make sense of online material and decide of credibility of the site in which such information was retrieved. If you have found links from a promising site, ensure you have supporting evidence considering some of the content appear odd. Blogs are examples of search places which act as pointers to other online resources. Furthermore, the use of directory is an effective way of ensuring the information you retireve is accurate. Other than that, google is also a very useful search engine which tell you "where to find the stuff". Other search engine include Meta search engine, which search several other placse and organise the results in catagories and clusters. Apart from that, there are also pay sites such as "Maine infonet". These are also useful as they ensure accuracy of information and also doesn't require any filtering of advertisment.

Reading 2 Bare bones lession 7: Basic Search Tips

In order to get the best possible search result on the web, there are several techniques which you must apply. Some example of the search tips are as follows:

• Use (+) or (-) to force the inclusion or exclusion of a word from the search result. E.g. + drug - sport


• Make sure your most important keyword go in front of the search. e.g "dog breed family pet choose"


• Double quotation mark ensure phrases is searched as it is. e.g. "who let the dog out"


• Combine phrases and keyword by using double quotation and (+) & (-)sign. e.g. +cowboys+"wild west"-football-dallas


• Use the find command to look for your keyword within a document


• Typing keyword in lower case allow you to find both upper and lower case result for the search. e.g. Dog or dog


• Always use CAP when typing boolean operators (e.g OR) and ensure they are enclosed in a bracket. e.g Yosmite (camp grounds OR Reservation)`
  

WEEK 2-Office application

Lecture summary

This week, we discussed the different Pc application and there importance in our professional and personal life. Now a days, Pc are consist of different applications such as Windows explorer, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, and Internet Explorer to mention a few. MS Excel is a very useful application in keeping data. It allows u to use recorded data to create a graph which present the data in a visual form therefore making it easy to understand. Excel can also perform calculation and generate formulas. Another useful application is MS Power Point. It brings professionalism into the presentation thus making it entertaining.

Tutorial

The task for the second week consist of two tasks which involves using MS Word and MS Excel. We were required to create a data using MS Excel. These datas were then to be used to create a graph and also a chart. The MS Word exercise required us to modify a pre-written text using different MS Word functions. After the complication of both task, a screen shot was required as evidence of work completion. Although I managed to complete the given tasks, I have experience some difficulties in following the instructions. This was simply because the instruction were written for window xp 2003 applications but I soon relised that a large majority of ECU computers are now using Windows Vista application. Now that i have mastered the normal function of windows vista, I will now be able to complete task in my other three units. I can now add footnote onto my task, and also complete my portfolio for upc0001 and capital punishment essay without having to worry about how to use the different MS word function. Further more, I can also create a table and chart using excel, which will give a bit of professionalism to my piece.

Reading - Graphic File Formats

Images on a PC can be saved into different formats. Example of format includes, Bmp, gif, jpeg and Tiff. Only images with transparancy can be saved in a gif format as it only "support images with transparent parts" JPEG is the most common use image format on the net as it "retains" the colour and quality of the image. Images can be compressed to maximise storage space and then decompressed to the original size. There is a problem associated with compressing images. Some common problem includes, lost in picture quality. The more compressed the image, the more deterent in the image quality when it's decompressed.

Reading- Using MS Word for APA Tasks

There are many fuctions which can be used to minimise problems associated with MS Word. For example, if you intend on highlighting certain groups of text in a paragraph for modification, place the cursor where the text begins and then press shift and place the cursor where the txt end. You can also use double line spacing by clicking on the page setup bar and then clicking on paragraph. Once you click on the paragraph, there are a number of options, simply click on the one which says, double line spacing.